Machine fob



J. H. NORTHROP.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING DATES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28. IQIU- 1,307,693. Patented June 24, 1919.

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MACHINE FOR CLEANING DATES.

APPLICATION FILED on. 28. 1918.

1 ,307,693. Patented June 24, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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J. H. NORTHROP.

M AC H l NE F OR Cl. E AN l N G DATES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2a. 1918.

1,307,693. Patented June 24, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHET 3.

JAMES H. NORTHROP, 0F INDIO, CALIFORNIA.

MACHINE FOB CLEANING DATES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 24, 1919.

Application filed October 28, 1918. Serial No. 259,990.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. NoRTHRoP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indio, in'the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented a new and useful Machine for Cleaning Dates, of which the following is a specification.

In date culture in the Coachella valley in California,.dust accumulates on the growing dates and is very diflicult to remove on account of the delicate character of the fruit.

An object of this invention is to provide means for removing dust and other substances from outside the skin of the date, without injury to the fruit.

A feature of the invention is the provision of means for-rubbing and shaking off the dustand for gathering and holding any sticky substances and allowing the same to be removed from time to time.

The invention is primary, broadly new and pioneer in that a towel is arranged as a traveling belt to gather the dust, etc., by contact and with rubbing; and to discharge the loose dust from the machine.

The pressure which makes the rubbing effective is produced by the weight of the dates which are retained on a slanting limb of the towel belt by means of a dam formed by a towel at the foot of the machine. Takeup means areprovided whereby the towel surface of the dam may be shifted to present another face to the dates, and the towel is arranged to be taken out and cleaned from time to time.

A valuable function of the towel is to rotate the dates relatively, so as to cause them to rub against each other. thus assisting to dislodge therefrom, foreign substances such as dust and dirt; and such foreign substances will be picked up and retained by the traveling towel until such substances are either dropped off the towel, or until the towel is removed and the dust and dirt are disposed of.

Dates vary in shape and size according to kind, variety, and other conditions; and in picking the dates. different kinds and varieties are kept separate and form different batches to be treated.

An object of this invention is to make provision whereby the different kinds and varieties of dates which are unlike in size or shape may be successively cleaned by the same machine. An object is to effect this by simple, inexpensive and easily adjusted means.

The dates of each batch are mainly uniform in shape and size, and in the course of my experiments leading .up to the production and the perfecting of this machine I found that dates of one batch might be cleaned successfully by the device I was operating with, and yet when it was attempted to clean another batch, the work was either poorly done, or was a complete failure. In some instances the dates would be carried over and become banked against a brush I had arranged at the top of the machine, and in other'instances they would be left in a corner at the bottom of the incline. In either instance the dates would not be cleaned.

I have discovered that in order to make a successful date cleaning machine, it is necessary to make provision for delicately changing the action of the forces applied to the dates; otherwise the machine which successfully cleans the dates of one batch, will fail to so operate upon the dates of another batch. That is to say; in the operation of this machine, dates of a batch having a generally common eharacter-asto size and shape will be properly cleaned; and yet another batch of dates of a different character in these respects will not be properly cleaned at the same adjustment.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a practical adjustment to different batches of dates, and this is attained by providing for appropriate changes of slant of that portion of the traveling towel that supports the dates.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompanying drawings, the subjoined detail description and the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of a date cleaning device constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a broken plan view on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental detail of the endless towel, showing the joining thereof.

Fig. 4 is a broken longitudinal section on the same scale as Fig. 2. Dot and dash lines Show the dam in raised position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental elevation of the adjustable end of the date holder.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of another form of the machine.

Fig. 7 is a plan of the date cleaner shown in Fig. 6.

The date holder or container shown in Figs. 15 comprises an elongated box 1, supported at one end a by jointed brackets 2, 2, to a stationary support 3. The other end I) of said date holder is adjustably supported by a vertical rack 4, the notches 5 of which are adapted to engage a finger 6, that is fastened to the box 1 in such a manner as to tilt the container sufliciently to allow the fruit 7, to roll by gravity from end a to end I) of the box 1, while at the same time the fruit is being carried by an endless apron 8, from lower to upper end of the box. Said apron which forms the cleaning element and extends across the width of the box 1, is carried by rollers 9, 10, which in turn are revolved by pulleys 11, 11 and belt 12, and by pulley and belt 13, 14. The endless apron 8, is held taut by an idler 15 which is mounted on the box approximately midway between the rollers 9 and 10, and said apron 8 rests on the bottom 16 of the container 1 and passes through recesses 17 18, at either end of the bottom 16 of box 1 as the apron is carried over rollers 9, 10.

Another cleaning element consists of the strip 19, preferably of toweling which is carried over a cam 20, the ends of said strip 19, being wound over drums 21, 22. Pins or small spikes 23 are arranged at intervals longitudinally of the drums 21, 22, to secure the ends of the strips 19.

A rotary brush 24, is mounted near the end a of the container and revolves by means of a sprocket chain 25, on sprocket wheels 26, 27, on roller 10 and brush 24. Said brush serves to throw the fruit back should it reach the upper end a of the box 1, and prevents the fruit from following the rollers 10 or clogging the recess 18.

The endless apron 8, in this instance consists of two thicknesses of fabric, the side coming next the rollers 9, 10, being of canvas or the like, and that coming in contact with the fruit being preferably of Turkish toweling, the two thicknesses 28, 29, being stitched together at the edges 30 and at intervals as needed or desired.

\Vhcn it is desired to remove the apron 8, for the purpose of laundering, this is easily and quickly accomplished by means of the hooks and eyes 31, 32, which join the two ends of the apron.

In using this device the end 5 of the container is first adjusted to the desired angle and there held by means of the finger 6 and the notched support 4; the proper slant of the container being determined by the size and condition of the fruit to be cleaned, the

rounder fruit rolling more readily needs less of a slant than the more elongate grades. The cam 20 is turned by its handle 33, to nearly or quite touch the apron 8. A stop 34 in the form of a pin inserted in hole 35 stops further movement of the cam 20 in that direction.

The fruit to be cleaned is placed in the container and the machine set to running by means of the power source not shown, through the successive belts and pulleys. The fruit tumbling about on the apron 8 and against the strip 19. at the lower end Z) of the container cleans and polishes itself in a short time. It can then be removed by raising the cam 20 inserting the pin 34 in the hole 36 whereupon the fruit will roll through the opening 37 at the end of the container 1 into a receptacle 38 and is then ready to be carried away and packed. When the strip 19 becomes soiled in one spot it may easily be shifted to a clean place by manipulating the handles 39, 40, of the drums 21, 22.

The axis 41. of the bracket joints is alined with the axis 42 of the pulley around which the belt 12 is bent so that the box 1 may be tilted to any inclination found advisable or desirable. In the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the power to drive the belt is applied by a motor 43, suitably connected as by pulley 44, belt 45 and pulley 46 to shaft 47 of drum 9'.

The box 1"" in Figs. 6 and 7 is pivoted by a pivot 48 near to a connterbalancing point, due account being taken of the weight of motor and drum at the upper end, which is (pver-balanced slightly by the discharge on The gate 49 is pivoted to the box at a point 50 that is nearer to the floor of the box than to the bottom of the gate, and the gate is normally held closed by the spring 51 that is mounted on a rod 52 which is pivotally connected to the gate above the pivot and slides through bearing 53 that is mounted on the box. To open the gate 49, the operator presses the top of the gate toward the drum 9, and the lower end of the gate swings toward the opening 17 of the box, thus allowing the dates to roll out. This operation is performed when a charge of dates has been cleaned.

The spring returns the gate to closed position when pressure of the hand is removed.

The face of the gate isformed of a towel 54 that corresponds to the towel 28 and is fastened together at its ends by suitable fastoners as buttons, buckles, snaps or other devices at joint 55, detail illustration of which is unnecessary.

The tilting box may be so balanced that it may be rocked by hand on the axis 48, thus causing the dates to roll from end to end, and "ice versa, until the dust has been menses taken up by the'towel; whereupon the dates may be discharged as stated. The towel may be shifted from time to time as the dust accumulates thereon.

It is understood that the pivotal axis as may be located at such position as may be best suited-to the purpose; and that if the motor were missing, for illustration, the pivot 48 would 'be placed eloser to the middle of the box.

I claim.

1. A date cleaning device comprising a towel arranged to support freely and to contact with the dates, means to retain the dates on the towel, and to allow them to move freely thereon responsive to the action of gravity, and means to cause relative motion between the towel and the contacting dates.

2. A date cleaning device comprising a towel, means for retaining dates on the towel and means for moving the towel relative to the dates, said device being adapted to allow the dates to move freely relative to the towel.

3. A date cleaning device comprising a towel means for retaining the towel aslant; means for freely holding dates on the towel; and means for moving the towel underneath the dates.

4. A date cleaning device comprising a towel; means for retaining the towel aslant; means for freely holding dates on the towel and means for moving the towel up the slant beneath the dates.

5. A date cleaning device comprising a towel; means for holding the towel aslant; means for holding dates on the towel; means for moving the towel up the slant beneath the dates; and a brush at the upper part of the date holding means to prevent the dates from being carried off the towel.

6. A date cleaning device comprising a container pivotally mounted at one end; means for raising and lowering the other end of the container; and a towel in the bottom of the container over which the dates may freely roll for the purpose of cleaning the dates.

7. A date cleaning device comprising a. container pivotally mounted at one end; means for raising and lowering the other end of the container; a towel in the bottom of the container over which the dates may freely roll for the purpose of cleaning the dates; and means for shifting the towel.

8. A date cleaning device comprising a container pivotally mounted at one end; means for raising and lowering the other end of the container; a towel in the bottom of the container over which the dates may freely roll for the purpose of cleaning the dates: said towel being constructed as an endless apron; and means for shifting the endless apron.

9. A date cleaning device comprising a dates; said towel being constructed as an endlessapron; a roller for shifting the end less apron; and means for driving the roller.

10. in a date cleaning device comprising a container; adjusting means for tilting said container; an endless towel upon which the dates are freely supported; rollers for carrying said towel toward the upper end of said container; a brush mounted near the upper end of said container; and means for revolving said brush in the same direction as the rollers.

11. A date cleaning device comprising a container; means whereby the container may be adjustably tilted; an endless traveling towel forming a floor traveling toward the upper end of said container; a gate near the lower end of said container; a towel extending over said gate; and means for moving said gate into and out of date intercepting position.

12. A date cleaning device comprising a container mounted so as to be adjustably tilted; a floor towel traveling toward the upper end of said container, said container having a date discharging outlet; and means for opening and closing the date discharge outlet of said container.

13. A date cleaning device comprising a container mounted to be adjustably tilted; and having a date outlet at one end and a dust outlet at the other end; an endless towel forming a floor traveling between the outlets and toward the upper end of said container; means for throwing the fruit back from the upper end of said towel; and means for holding the dates in the container and discharging the dates through the discharge opening of said container.

14. In a date cleaning device a container; means at one end of the container for holding said container in a more or less endwise tilted position; an endless towel; means for moving said towel upward along the bottom of said container; a gate near the lower end of said container; and means for alternately moving said gate into retaining or discharging position and holding in such position.

15. A date cleaning device comprising a slanting container tilted and having a date outlet at one end and a date outlet at the other end; an endless towel forming a floor traveling between the outlets and toward the upper end of said container; means for throwing the fruit back from the upper end of said towel; and means for holding the dates in the container and discharging the dates through the discharge opening of said container.

16.. In a fruit cleaning device, acontainer;

means at one end for holding said container out of fruit retaining position; a strip bent in a more or less endwise tilted plosition; over said cam; and means at the end of said there bein a discharge opening at t e lower strip for moving said strip on said cam. 10 end of sai container; an endless apron trav- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set eling toward the higher end of said conmy hand at Los Angeles, California, this tainer; a cam near the lower end of said con- 5th day of October, 1918.

tainer; means for moving said cam into and JAMES H. NORTHROP.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

